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Nampally Sarai lies in state of neglect
Once it was used to be abuzz with tourists from across the world; but now it is reduced to a den for antisocial elements. The rest house is facing the threat of disappearance sooner or later.
Hyderabad: Once it was used to be abuzz with tourists from across the world; but now it is reduced to a den for antisocial elements. The rest house is facing the threat of disappearance sooner or later.
The Nampally Sarai (Rest House), or Tipu Khan Sarai near Nampally Railway Station fell prey to the official apathy and Metro Rail construction. The monumental structure that was once used to serve travellers from across the world.
The rest house was built in 1919 by Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, the sixth Nizam on an area of 5,828 square yards
It is not included in the list of protected archaeological structures. Spread over an area of 5,828 square yards, it was built in the year 1919 by Mir Mahboob Ali Khan (sixth Nizam) in memory of First World War Treaty and hence it was called as Sulah Sarai (a peaceful resting place).
The Sarai has been under the maintenance of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) earlier, which was later shifted to Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL).
HMRL construction of Metro Station is going on in front of Nampally Railway Station adjacent to the Nizam Sarai. It is to be reminded that Nampally Sarai is the one among the many historic monuments getting defaced due to the HMRL project in city.
The construction material, rods, pipes and other stuff is thrown in the premises of Sarai now. The HMRL is responsible for the maintenance of this building.
Historian and author Narendra Luther said that it would have been better to develop this Sarai instead of leaving it to rot or dilapidate. He said, “When I was with Municipal Corporation during the 1970s, the Sarai was renovated. Later, I do not remember any occasion when it was restored.”
It was a cheap and best resting place for people coming to city from far places and for the students as well, he added. Anuradha Reddy, INTACH governing council co-convener said that government and authorities concerned were not interested in preserving the rich historic canvas of the Hyderabad.
She said, “Only if the government could have restored it to its original status, it could have served as a major tourist destination.’ `By neglecting the maintenance of historic buildings, we are not only losing the glory of past but also the future prospects of attracting more tourists and good income,’ she lamented.
The rest houses near Nampally was constructed by the Nizam of Hyderabad and has been the part of Hyderabad history for about a century. In the year 2004, there was a proposal to renovate it; but that could not take off. Efforts to get a response from HMRL officials turned out to be futile on this issue.
BY Mohammed Younus
